Documents: Opioids found in Pop star Prince's home, some in bodyguard's name

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Musician Prince performs on stage at Yas Arena in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi November 14, 2010. The performance is part of three consecutive days of after-race concerts of the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix. (REUTERS/Jumana El-Heloueh)

Reuters

Apr 17, 2017 at 11:38 am | Print View

Opioid painkillers were found in pop star Prince’s home after his sudden death a year ago, and investigators were told that the musician had history of withdrawals “believed to be the result of abuse of prescription medication,” according to court documents unsealed on Monday.

According to a search warrant of Prince’s Paisley Park complex outside Minneapolis, investigators found several pills labeled Watson 853 — the identifier for the generic hydrocodone-acetaminophen — in various rooms.

A search also turned up other “numerous narcotic controlled substance pills” in various containers, some prescribed to his bodyguard.

The documents said detectives were “made aware by witnesses that were interviewed, that Prince recently had a history of going through withdrawals, which are believed to be the result of the abuse of prescription medication.”

Prince, 57, was found dead at the complex on April 21 2016. His official cause of death was given last year as an accidental, self-administered overdose of the painkiller fentanyl.

The documents unsealed on Monday confirmed reports from law enforcement sources last year that multiple prescription pills were found in his home.

The unsealed documents and affidavits showed that some of the prescriptions were made in the name of Kirk Johnson, Prince’s bodyguard, “for Prince’s privacy.”